Two halves

Much is made from time to time about the relative per capita incomes of England and Scotland, with the implication that Scotland is wealthier than England. These people have not done the arithmetic to see what happens when you multiply the per capita income by the two populations.

Similarly, the impression is given that Scotland is united behind the Nationalist forces in the Westminster parliament, but if you add up all the votes of the various minority parties, I think you will probably find a majority who voted against the SNP.

In short, Shakespeare, as usual, summed it all up, this time in Macbeth: “Stands Scotland where it did?” “Alas, poor country, half afraid to know itself”.